Shadow Work

I am sponsoring a kid in A.A. He's on his 4th step. He had a moment of remorse at witchcamp because he didn't take the shadow path. He didn't need to. He's got shadow work of his own. Welcome to the world of raiths. Nightmares. No sleep. I remember. I know. He feels like he's the only person in the whole world who has such hard work to do. No one said it was easy. Just that it works. Its painful to watch and hard on my end too. But, at least, I can assure him that it DOES work. The shadows get different. One develops skills for working with them. They lay new patterns and become habit. Ways of working in the world and the innerworld. It will become more comfortable. Note, I did not say it gets any easier. But, knowing the pattern of work leading to ease of living with myself, I know the payoff is worth the effort. So, I watch and listen and tell him how it was with me. He freaks out. I listen. It's HARD! I know that. But it's worth the work!

Next will come the step wherein he will learn the meaning of some of his favourite words: integrity and *know my in all my parts*. See, in the next step, he must share his 4th step with another human being. It will be a step toward wholeness and REAL acceptance of ALL his parts. Those parts we want to take with us to the grave and never really SEE. They lose their power when confronted and spoken. Its like magic. Blessed be the Powers of Air. Building integrity and *knowing*.